OUAGADOUGOU: Following developments in Burkina Faso, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has in a Twitter post strongly condemned any attempt to take over the government by the force of arms.
Describing the events as a coup, Guterres with deep concern demanded that coup leaders lay down their arms and ensure the safety of the President and the protection of the country’s institutions.
The army’s removal and detention of Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore after two days of unrest have sparked some celebration among anti-government protesters and international concern.
Late on Monday, a group of soldiers calling themselves the Patriotic Movement for Safeguarding and Restoration, led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba appeared on state television to declare that they were in control of the county. The government and national assembly were dissolved, the constitution suspended, and closed the national borders, they said, as they also announced an overnight curfew.
The military seizure of power comes after Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore was detained by mutinying soldiers.
According to reports, security officials said, the coup was a result of Kabore’s failure to support the troops during the country’s years-long conflict with armed groups. Attacks linked to al-Qaeda and the armed group ISIL (ISIS) have exhausted Burkina Faso’s troops, claimed thousands and millions of lives, leaving thousands displaced.
Kabore has been President of Burkina Faso since 2015.